Latest news with #Lavallee
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fire threat triggers mandatory evacuation order for northern community's 300 residents
About 300 residents of a northern Manitoba community were ordered to leave their homes by 1 p.m. Tuesday because of an out-of-control wildfire, while evacuees from a First Nation were relieved to be finally headed home. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Cormorant, about 70 kilometres northeast of The Pas, after residents were told late Monday night to begin packing a bag. 'It's scary because the fire is so close,' said Marie Lavallee, who was readying her six children before they had to leave. 'We're on the edge of town where there's forest.' MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Alberteen Spence of Tataskweyak Cree Nation is among a group of evacuees told to be ready to return home Thursday. In a social-media post, Cormorant's council said provincial crews were mobilizing to battle the blaze, which was northwest of the unincorporated community. Heavy equipment was being trucked in to create a fire break. 'Your safety is our priority. Please remain calm,' the post said. Cormorant announced a two-hour evacuation notice Monday night, telling residents to prepare and listen for a fire-truck siren and alerts delivered by megaphone if a mandatory evacuation order was necessary. Residents were told to meet at a school before leaving Tuesday afternoon. People who did not have transportation of their own were boarding Winnipeg-bound buses. The fire was detected Monday, following a lightning strike, as per the Manitoba Wildfire Service. The blaze grew to at least 422 hectares the first day. The province's online map displayed 126 active fires at about midday Tuesday. Of those, 26 were classified as out of control. Lavallee had trouble sleeping Monday night after residents were told to prepare to leave within two hours, if necessary. She left her window open in case officials went door-to-door to announce an evacuation. 'I didn't get very much sleep,' she told the Free Press by phone at about 11 a.m. 'It's smoky today. It's just a light haze.' Lavallee has lived in Cormorant since she was six years old. She has never been through a wildfire evacuation. She said she hopes to stay with family or friends in The Pas. She doesn't want her family to stay in a congregate shelter in Winnipeg alongside dozens or hundreds of other evacuees. In May, she ran a sprinkler outside her house as a precaution while a wildfire burned in the Clearwater Lake area nearby. Cormorant was shrouded in heavy smoke at the time. 'That one was scary. The sky just turned black, and it was spooky,' Lavallee said. 'It was like something out of a horror movie.' Meanwhile, Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) announced Monday night that evacuees have started returning, about two months after they were forced out. 'It's very good news this week. We're happy to announce today that people are now going home, and I know some people are already at home,' Chief Doreen Spence said in a Facebook Live video Monday night. A mandatory evacuation order was issued May 30, a day after a wildfire was detected near the community, which is home to about 2,400 people. At least seven homes were destroyed July 4 when flames swept into Tataskweyak, northeast of Thompson. At more than 25,000 hectares, the blaze was still classified as out of control Tuesday. The fire was caused by human activity, as per the Manitoba Wildfire Service. SUPPLIED During a wildfire update Tuesday, the Town of Snow Lake said ground and aerial crews contained several flare-ups, and continued to extinguish hot spots near the town and mining areas. Evacuee Alberteen Spence, who has stayed in hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont., and Winnipeg, said she was relieved by news of the repatriation. 'I'm a little bit apprehensive because we don't know what we are going home to,' she said. 'Large sections of the bush have been burned. They told us it doesn't look the same.' Evacuees are returning to Tataskweyak in stages. Alberteen Spence said she is among a group that was told to be ready to return Thursday. Residents were told to throw out food and other contents in their refrigerators and freezers due to multiple power outages. 'That's another thing I've been thinking about,' Alberteen Spence said. '(Food) is going to be rotten.' Doreen Spence said a planeload of evacuees, who stayed in hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont., flew to Thompson on Monday, with a second flight scheduled Tuesday. Tataskweyak attempted a repatriation in mid-June, but it was put on hold because the community's water treatment plant malfunctioned. The fire flared about two weeks later, destroying some homes. Doreen Spence said another round of water-quality testing will take place once another new pump installed. When they return home, residents should run their hot water until it gets cold about three times, she said. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Elsewhere in northern Manitoba, work continues to contain fires in the Thompson area, the city said in a social-media post. Other than hot spots that are being extinguished, 'there is no further fire' in Leaf Rapids, the town said in a separate post. Last week, one normally occupied house was damaged when winds blew flames into the community. The Town of Snow Lake said ground and aerial crews contained several flare-ups, and continued to extinguish hot spots near the town and mining areas. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a warning for a majority of Manitoba, including Winnipeg, on Tuesday because smoke was causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Boston Globe
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
A lawyer work stoppage has frozen Massachusetts' criminal courts. Here's what's behind the chaos.
Write to us at . To subscribe, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT Labor actions don't typically call to mind lawyers, white-collar professionals who wear suits to the office. Yet for the past eight weeks, Massachusetts attorneys who represent defendants who can't afford their own counsel The stoppage has effectively paralyzed the state's criminal justice system. About two dozen defendants have walked free for lack of representation. A judge yesterday Advertisement Here's why the stoppage is happening, its consequences so far, and the arguments on both sides. A strange system To understand the stoppage, you have to understand Massachusetts' relatively unique way of assigning lawyers to poor defendants. In many states, public defenders employed by the state take on the bulk of defense work for people who can't retain their own counsel. But in Massachusetts, private attorneys called bar advocates handle up to 80 percent of such cases, electing to represent indigent clients. Bar advocates make much less than hired private defense attorneys, but compensation is especially bad in Massachusetts. The state pays them just $65 an hour for district court cases, the lowest rate in the region, and less than twice that for homicide cases. By contrast, their counterparts can make $112 an hour in Rhode Island and Advertisement Classified as independent contractors, Massachusetts bar advocates don't get health benefits, paid vacations, or sick leave. They've The consequences Massachusetts' reliance on bar advocates helps explain why the stoppage has so paralyzed the courts. The US Constitution mandates legal representation for criminal defendants. Since the stoppage began in May, thousands in Massachusetts have Judges can dismiss the cases without prejudice, letting prosecutors refile them later. But dismissal can wipe away release conditions like GPS monitoring or protective orders, spurring advocates A chronic issue Massachusetts has struggled for decades to compensate bar advocates, leading to other protests in the past. Bar advocates made $35 an hour for district court cases in 1982. By 2003, that Advertisement A work stoppage in Hampden County followed in 2004, leading to the creation of the Lavallee protocol. In 2005, the state enacted bar advocates' Pro and con Bar advocates say they're a critical part of the criminal justice system and deserve fair compensation. 'We are just as indispensable as the police,' one Lower pay also makes it hard to attract lawyers, denying some defendants quality representation. Massachusetts has fewer bar advocates today Critics — including some bar advocates — say stoppages let accused criminals go free and effectively use defendants as bargaining chips. 'We stop and the people who are sitting in jail will sit in jail longer,' one lawyer The lack of representation can also cause problems down the road. Without a lawyer to preserve evidence like surveillance footage or witness statements, 'people are losing the very ability to defend themselves,' Radha Natarajan, who directs the New England Innocence Project, What's next? State lawmakers enacted a budget for next year that omitted raises for bar advocates, but lawmakers now say they want a solution. ' Others think the state should reduce its overall reliance on bar advocates. After a similar stoppage three years ago, Maine hired more public defenders who are employed by the state. As a stopgap, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state agency that oversees bar advocates, asked the Supreme Judicial Court last month to temporarily boost bar advocates' pay; the court refused. Advertisement For now, the effects of the stoppage seem likely to spread. This week, the CPCS asked the court to approve an emergency measure that would free juvenile defendants without lawyers. More hearings to dismiss additional adult cases are scheduled for the coming weeks. As 🧩 5 Down: 85° POINTS OF INTEREST Jayson Tatum paid a surprise visit last week to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, where he worked out and met with the men's basketball team. Will McCutcheon/Chattanooga Basketball Perks of the job: Governor Healey boasted of halting a planned January raise for executive branch managers amid 'tight and uncertain' times. She's Waiting: Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft pledged to release information about his taxes Exercises, autographs, and a wedding: Inside 'I want Daddy': ICE is detaining undocumented parents across Massachusetts, Trade deals: Trump announced trade deals with Japan and the Philippines that will see lower tariffs on goods the US imports from those countries. ( Have money, won't travel: International tourism to the US has plummeted. Losses Advertisement Higher prices: Trump claims he 'solved' inflation. The data — Legal wrangling: Trump's attorney general fired a prosecutor after federal judges chose her to run the US attorney's office in New Jersey over Alina Habba, a Trump ally. ( GBH cuts: The PBS affiliate is laying off 13 employees from 'American Experience,' a history program, Transgender rights: The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee barred transgender athletes from women's sports, citing a Trump executive order. ( BESIDE THE POINT ❤️ Love Letters: This 78-year-old pickleball-playing grandmother 🚽 Heir to the throne: Can these 'smart' restrooms solve America's public bathroom crisis? ( 📺 Remembrance: For legions of fans, Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death this week felt almost 🥤 'Dirty sodas': A TikTok trend with roots in Mormon culture is making its way to Massachusetts. 📚 Doris Lessing: She dropped out of school at 14 and won the Nobel Prize in literature in her 80s. Here's her advice on how to read for maximum illumination. ( 💍 The Big Day: After 15 years together, these Harvard, Mass., natives 🪦 RIP: Ozzy Osbourne, a founding father of British heavy metal who led the band Black Sabbath and later became a solo star, died at age 76. ( Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by Advertisement ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks. Most were for minor crimes like shoplifting, drug possession and motor vehicle violations. But several involved cases of assault on police officers and domestic violence. One suspect allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and slapped her in the face. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the father of her child, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. A third case involved a suspect who allegedly hit a police officer and threated to shoot him. The judge, repeatedly invoking the Lavallee protocol, dismissed almost all of the cases after being convinced public defenders had made a good-faith effort to find the defendants an attorney. No defendants were in court to hear their cases being dismissed. 'This case will be dismissed without prejudice,' Lyons said repeatedly, noting that all fines and fees would be waived. Frustration from prosecutors over dropped cases Prosecutors unsuccessfully objected to the dismissal of many of the cases, especially the most serious being dismissed. 'The case dismissals today, with many more expected in coming days and weeks, present a clear and continuing threat to public safety,' James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said in a statement. They vowed to re-prosecute all the cases. 'Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are working extremely hard to keep victims and other impacted persons updated on what's happening with their cases,' he continued. 'These are difficult conversations. We remain hopeful that a structural solution will be found to address the causal issues here and prevent any repeat.' Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, speaking to reporters in Fall River, said the situation needed to be resolved. 'This is a public safety issue and also a due process issue as people need representation,' she said. 'I know the parties are talking. They have got to find a way to work this out. We need lawyers in court ... and certainly they need to be paid fairly.' Dispute revolves around pay Public defenders, who argue they are the lowest paid in New England, launched a work stoppage at the end of May in hopes of pressuring the legislature to increase their hourly pay. The state agency representing public defenders had proposed a pay increase from $65 an hour to $73 an hour over the next two fiscal years for lawyers in district court, an increase from $85 an hour to $105 an hour for lawyers in Superior Court and $120 an hour to $150 an hour for lawyers handling murder cases. But the 2026 fiscal year budget of $60.9 billion signed early this month by Healey didn't include any increase. 'The dismissal of cases today under the Lavallee protocols is what needs to be done for those individuals charged with crimes but with no lawyer to vindicate their constitution rights,' said Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law and the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'It is, however, not a solution to the deep crisis of inadequate pay for bar advocates. Until there are enough qualified lawyers in courts to fulfill the constitutional obligation of the right to counsel this crisis will only intensify.' The pay of public defenders is a national issue Massachusetts is the latest state struggling to adequately fund its public defender system. In New York City, legal aid attorneys are demanding better pay and working conditions. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a two-year state budget into law that increases the pay of public defenders and district attorneys in each of the next two years. That comes after the Legislature in 2023 also increased the pay to address rising caseloads, high turnover and low salaries. Public defenders in Minnesota averted a walkout in 2022 that threatened to bring the court system to a standstill. A year later, the legislature came up with more funding for the state Board of Public Defense so it could meet what the American Bar Association recommends for manageable caseload standards. Oregon, meanwhile, has struggled for years with a critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants did not have a public defender, a dashboard from the Oregon Judicial Department showed. Of those, about 143 people were in custody, some for longer than seven days. Amid the state's public defense crisis, lawmakers last month approved over $2 million for defense attorneys to take more caseloads in the counties most affected by the shortage and over $3 million for Oregon law schools to train and supervise law students to take on misdemeanor cases. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. 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Toronto Star
22-07-2025
- Toronto Star
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks.
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Associated Press
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks. Most were for minor crimes like shoplifting, drug possession and motor vehicle violations. But several involved cases of assault on police officers and domestic violence. One suspect allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and slapped her in the face. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the father of her child, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. A third case involved a suspect who allegedly hit a police officer and threated to shoot him. The judge, repeatedly invoking the Lavallee protocol, dismissed almost all of the cases after being convinced public defenders had made a good-faith effort to find the defendants an attorney. No defendants were in court to hear their cases being dismissed. 'This case will be dismissed without prejudice,' Lyons said repeatedly, noting that all fines and fees would be waived. Frustration from prosecutors over dropped cases Prosecutors unsuccessfully objected to the dismissal of many of the cases, especially the most serious being dismissed. 'The case dismissals today, with many more expected in coming days and weeks, present a clear and continuing threat to public safety,' James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said in a statement. They vowed to re-prosecute all the cases. 'Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are working extremely hard to keep victims and other impacted persons updated on what's happening with their cases,' he continued. 'These are difficult conversations. We remain hopeful that a structural solution will be found to address the causal issues here and prevent any repeat.' Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, speaking to reporters in Fall River, said the situation needed to be resolved. 'This is a public safety issue and also a due process issue as people need representation,' she said. 'I know the parties are talking. They have got to find a way to work this out. We need lawyers in court ... and certainly they need to be paid fairly.' Dispute revolves around pay Public defenders, who argue they are the lowest paid in New England, launched a work stoppage at the end of May in hopes of pressuring the legislature to increase their hourly pay. The state agency representing public defenders had proposed a pay increase from $65 an hour to $73 an hour over the next two fiscal years for lawyers in district court, an increase from $85 an hour to $105 an hour for lawyers in Superior Court and $120 an hour to $150 an hour for lawyers handling murder cases. But the 2026 fiscal year budget of $60.9 billion signed early this month by Healey didn't include any increase. 'The dismissal of cases today under the Lavallee protocols is what needs to be done for those individuals charged with crimes but with no lawyer to vindicate their constitution rights,' said Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law and the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'It is, however, not a solution to the deep crisis of inadequate pay for bar advocates. Until there are enough qualified lawyers in courts to fulfill the constitutional obligation of the right to counsel this crisis will only intensify.' The pay of public defenders is a national issue Massachusetts is the latest state struggling to adequately fund its public defender system. In New York City, legal aid attorneys are demanding better pay and working conditions. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a two-year state budget into law that increases the pay of public defenders and district attorneys in each of the next two years. That comes after the Legislature in 2023 also increased the pay to address rising caseloads, high turnover and low salaries. Public defenders in Minnesota averted a walkout in 2022 that threatened to bring the court system to a standstill. A year later, the legislature came up with more funding for the state Board of Public Defense so it could meet what the American Bar Association recommends for manageable caseload standards. Oregon, meanwhile, has struggled for years with a critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants did not have a public defender, a dashboard from the Oregon Judicial Department showed. Of those, about 143 people were in custody, some for longer than seven days. Amid the state's public defense crisis, lawmakers last month approved over $2 million for defense attorneys to take more caseloads in the counties most affected by the shortage and over $3 million for Oregon law schools to train and supervise law students to take on misdemeanor cases.
